New rules for the 1989 Championship that limited boost pressure to 2 bars were unfavourable for the Renault 21’s turbo engine. As a result, the team made a number of modifications to the car, resulting in an entirely different model to the previous year’s, with a longitudinal engine configuration closer to that of the original production car. Despite a handicap of 128 kg and transmission issues, the car took 11 poles from 14 races and came second in the championship.